PS3’s The Shoot with PlayStation Move: $40 well spent

The Shoot on the PlayStation 3 is a very pleasant surprise, making light gun …

Did Sony really just release a light gun game that you can play with your kids? The Shoot has a fun premise: you're on a movie set, firing at cardboard cut-outs of bad guys. If you hit an innocent bystander, the director gets angry. If he gets too annoyed, the set is shut down. The graphics are nice and detailed, filled with little touches that add character to each scene and remind you that you're in what are essentially fake surroundings.

There are different themed levels—Western, Horror, Science Fiction—you get the idea. You also earn special moves by shooting many enemies without a miss. If you fire at the ground, you trigger a shockwave that hits multiple enemies; shoot at the ceiling you go full-auto for a time. If you physically spin around 360 degrees, you can slow down time and aim better. It's a neat mechanic, although spinning in place does make you feel awfully silly.

Each section is fun, but you can blast through each one in a half an hour or so, meaning you can see everything the game has to offer in a few hours. Don't let that faze you though, as you can then play with a friend in the Score Attack mode, or continue to play the level for more points. If you find all the pieces of a movie poster in each scene, you unlock a bonus minigame that adds a little more value. There are also sections that add some neat motion controls, such as a quick-draw contest, and the ability to lean back and forth to dodge incoming projectiles.

It's all much more fun than expected, but the pointer on the screen can be a little laggier than I was comfortable with—although I got used to it very quickly. The game is full of neat little jokes and fun moments, and you can tell the designers had a ton of fun throwing ideas at the game. It might be short, but you'll want to come back and keep playing each of the five movies, and the $40 price tag sure doesn't hurt.